Census Bureau may have hired criminals

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Errors by U.S. Census Bureau employees could have resulted in 200 people with criminal records being hired for canvassing, a government report said.

The Government Accountability Office said Census Bureau employees improperly fingerprinted thousands of people as part of background checks for workers hired to interact with the public door to door, The Hill reported Thursday.

The GAO report expressed concern that the checks performed on improperly fingerprinted employees were incomplete.

"It is possible that more than 200 people with unclassifiable prints had disqualifying criminal records but still worked and had contact with the public during address canvassing," the GAO's Robert Goldenkoff told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday.

Goldenkoff said the bureau's training program was a reason for the improper fingerprints, adding that the bureau "will refine instruction manuals and provide remediation training on proper procedures" to prevent a recurrence.

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